Shloka 693
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कालस्तु बलवान प्राप्तस्तेन तिष्ठसि वासव । अन्यथा संसारमें कौन ऐसा वीर है, जो युद्धमें कुपित होनेपर मेरे सामने ठहर सके। इन्द्र! बलवान् काल (अदृष्ट) ने मुझपर आक्रमण किया है, इसीसे तुम मेरे सम्मुख खड़े हुए हो
kālas tu balavān prāptas tena tiṣṭhasi vāsava | anyathā saṃsāre me ko nāma vīraḥ, yo yuddhe kupito mama sammukhaṃ tiṣṭhet | indra! balavān kālo 'dṛṣṭaḥ mayi samākrāntaḥ, tasmāt tvaṃ mama sammukhe tiṣṭhasi ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Die Zeit — mächtig und unwiderstehlich — ist über mich gekommen; darum kannst du, o Vāsava (Indra), vor mir stehen. Sonst: Wer in dieser Welt wäre ein Held, der im Kampf vor mir standhielte, wenn ich erzürnt bin? Indra, die mächtige Zeit — das unsichtbare Geschick — hat mich angegriffen; deshalb stehst du in meiner Gegenwart.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest warrior’s power is ultimately bounded by Kāla (Time) and adṛṣṭa (unseen destiny). The verse frames ethical humility: human prowess should not become arrogance, because outcomes are governed by forces beyond personal strength.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra (Vāsava), asserting that Indra can face him only because Time/destiny has already overtaken Bhīṣma. He emphasizes his former invincibility in battle and attributes the present reversal to the overpowering arrival of Kāla.